Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Curbside Christmas Tree Pickups Begin Next Week

By Gustavo Solis | December 26, 2013 4:03pm
 New Yorkers drag their trees to be turned to mulch during MulchFest 2011.
New Yorkers drag their trees to be turned to mulch during MulchFest 2011.
View Full Caption
New York City Department of Parks

NEW YORK CITY — The city wants to help New Yorkers from keeping their withering Christmas trees in their living rooms well past the holiday season.

The Sanitation Department will begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection program on Monday, as well as providing drop-off locations for people to dump their trees.

The pickups, which run through Jan. 15, allows the city to turn trees into mulch that will be spread throughout parks, baseball fields and community gardens across the city.

Residents must remove all Christmas decorations including tinsel, lights and ornaments, as well as the tree stand, before setting them for pickup. Only clean, non-bagged trees that are left on the curb will be collected and made into compost, a Department of Sanitation spokeswoman said.

In Christmases past, the Department of Sanitation has typically collected about 140,000 trees, she added.

“Christmas Day has come and gone, but New Yorkers can continue the spirit of giving by ‘tree-cycling’ their Christmas trees,” Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White said.

The Parks Department, in conjunction with the Department of Sanitation, will host MulchFest 2014 on Jan. 11 and 12 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

At various drop off points throughout the city, residents can dump their Christmas trees and pick up free mulch. As with curbside pickup, trees must be stripped of their holiday decorations.